“Because rape is an act that men do in the name of masculinity, it is in their interest to believe that women also want rape done, in the name of femininity. In the dichotomy that they have established, one does and one is “done to”. This belief is more than an arrogant insensitivity; it is a belief in the supreme rightness of male power.” (Brownmiller. 1976)
The next myth is victim precipitation, which is the myth that the victim asked for it or deserved it. This is once again a statement that is barely believable. Whilst there is a selection of women who may enjoy rougher then usual sex, or role playing various situations in their sexual fantasies, real rape is something no women wants to experience. Rape is a fear that women are given from an early age, and carry throughout their life. Women must always be aware of their situations and environments, with the fear of rape hanging over them. A male would not think twice about walking alone at night, the thought of rape would not even enter his thoughts, however for a woman; this thought would more then likely be at the forefront of her mind. Hickman and Muelenhard conclude, “Most women live their lives in fear of becoming a victim of rape… women restrict their behaviours in numerous ways.” (1997) the lasting effects of rape are devastating that no woman would want to experience. Gordon and Riger claim that rape is intertwined with death, “for many women to be raped is to die. Some women have killed themselves after surviving rape, and many other victims consider it.” (1989)
The third major myth is that of victim fabrication. This is the myth in which the victim is accused of lying. Whilst this myth can be damaging to victims, and has had effects in the way in which rapes are reported. A high percentage of rapes go unreported due to victims not being believed. Although statistics have shown that somewhere between 2 and 8% of rapes reported, the stories of victims have been fabricated.
“Empirical evidence does not support the widespread belief that women are extremely unlikely to make false accusations of male sexual misconduct. Rather the research on accusations of rape, sexual harassment, incest, and child sexual abuse indicates that false accusations have become a serious problem. The motivations involved in making a false report are widely varied and include confusion, outside influence from therapists and others, habitual lying, advantages in custody disputes, financial gain, and the political ideology of radical feminism.” (Zepezauer).
The main critics of rape myths are the feminists. “Feminists have envisioned rape as the result of a nexus of social power relations that systematically devalue one sex as they value they other sex.” (Boklaschuk 2000). Rape has been defined in many ways, but the main focus from feminist writers has been the focus that rape myths effectively degrade the victim, mainly women, and justify the offenders’, the male, actions. As rape is mostly about power rather then about sexual aggression, it is seen as dominance over women, and disgregation of women. As it is also a crime of violence. Women are aware of rape, and being a victim of rape, and men are aware of the power of rape.
Rape myths have been around for as long as rapes have been committed. Certain laws have only just recognised types of rapes, as actual crimes. Such as rapes in marriages, was in recent years still legal, and is still legal in various states and countries. This lack of law in which husbands are legally able to rape their wives, has encouraged rape myths, and is a good example of the male dominance experienced in almost every aspect of society. Feminists have argued that rape myths need to be abolished and myths need to be shattered and the truths exposed. However with some studies undertaken that have shown that anywhere up to 8% of rapes is fabricated, the myths will continue to linger. Rape myths have had huge effects on how many rapes go unreported. Women often fear being labelled as wanting it, or lying and have become too scared to report attacks. Rape is a traumatic event that no one would volunteer to participate in; this applies to male rapes also. Male rapes are also poorly reported and rarely spoken of. There is more focus on women being the victims of rape, as men are more likely to be victims of other types of crimes.
There is no typical victim of rape, apart from the gander. And this is applied to offenders also. Although it is more frequent to be a victim in certain age groups, this could be attributed to the fact that 20 to 29 years old, those in the highest risk factor, are seen as being more active in their social lives, thus placing themselves in a more risky situation. Offenders are almost always male, and once again there is no typical profile of an attacker. This makes it difficult for a woman to be aware of her surroundings. Whilst the deception of being raped in a dark alley after midnight, is possible of happening, as stated before rape victims were more likely to be aware of who their attacker is, and rarely in a situation where they would assume there is danger.
There are many other rape myths besides the three main focuses in this assignment. Another common myth is that, where the woman says no she really means yes. In a study conducted by the AIC, it was found that under this statement, only 54% of males disagreed. Whereas 82% of women disagreed. This is a small example of the differences in attitudes between men and women, and the misconceptions of rape. Another example of this is, when asked if; there is no behaviour on the part of woman that should be considered justification for rape, by gender. 36% of male strongly agreed, and 55% of females strongly agreed.
Many rape myths blame the victim, and somehow justify the actions of the attacker. This is a disappointment in out modern day society, but it a good signal to demonstrate how we still live in a very patriarchal society. Until rape is abolished as a sex crime, and rightfully placed as a crime of violence, then there will be misunderstanding what rape is truly about. Rape is about violence, dominance, and power. It is almost never about the sexual act itself. Rape myths have been developed by a society of men, to justify their actions of violence and to blame the victim. Until society is re-educated on rape, these myths will continue.
References:
Boklaschuk S. (2000) The Re-victimization of the Victim: Record Access in Sexual Assault Trials Cited: November 20, 2005
Brownmiller, S. 1976. Against our will: women and rape. New York: Penguin Books
Burt, M. (1980). Cultural myths and supports for rape. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30(2)
Corduff, Y. (1999) Date Rape. Reclaim the Night National Website.
Easteal, P.W. (1993) Beliefs about Rape: A National Survey
Gordon M. & Riger S. (1991) The Female Fear: The social cost of rape
Hickman, S. E., & Muehlenhard, C. L. (1997). College women's fears and precautionary behaviours relating to acquaintance rape and stranger rape. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 527-547
Koss, M P. and Harvey, M R. 1991. The Rape Victim: Clinical and Community Interventions (second edition). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Lonsway, K. A., & Fitzgerald, L. F. (1994). Rape myths: In review. Psychology of Women Quarters, 18, 133-164.
Zepezauer, F. (1994) IPT Journal Volume 6, Believe her! The woman never lies.
Institute for Psychological Therapies. .
Cited: November 20. 2005
Australian Legal retrieval site.
Cited November 11, 2005
Brisbane Rape and Incest Survivors Support Centre.
Cited: November 11, 2005
